ADF, Rembrandt Enterprises' egg divisions form joint venture

American Dehydrated Foods Inc. (ADF) and Rembrandt Enterprises Inc. (REI) announced the companies have reached an agreement to form a joint venture of their respective egg divisions, which are currently serving the petfood and animal feed industries. The new entity will operate as IsoNova Technologies LLC (IsoNova) and be headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, USA. 
"As a company, we have made a long-term commitment to innovation, and this opportunity is in keeping with that commitment" said Kurt Hellweg, CEO, ADF. "By combining the experience and expertise of ADF and REI, we will be able to even better serve our customers through an increased focus on the research, development and manufacture of innovative egg products for the petfood and animal feed industries."
Under terms of the agreement, all ADF associates located in Social Circle, Georgia; Verona, Missouri; Cumming, Georgia; Lillington, North Carolina; Forest, Mississippi; Texarkana, Texas; and Hanceville, Alabama, USA, along with the REI Petcare division associates located in Spencer, Iowa, USA, will become part of IsoNova Technologies on the effective date of the closing, which is January 1, 2014.
"The creation of IsoNova Technologies represents a real win for the employees, customers and communities served today by ADF and REI," said Dave Rettig, CEO, REI. "We feel that in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive industry, IsoNova will position us for long-term growth and success as we will be able to quickly and efficiently meet the needs of our customers by bringing innovative new products to market even faster than before."
At the completion of the transaction, all current ADF and REI animal and petfood egg customers will become customers of IsoNova Technologies.

Merrick Pet Care to provide petfood for pets at PAWS Chicago

Greg Shearson, CEO of Merrick, feeds dogs at PAWS Chicago.
PAWS Chicago and Merrick Pet Care are partnering to provide quality nutrition for homeless pets in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Starting December 1, Merrick Pet Care will provide petfood for the dogs and cats at the PAWS Chicago and PAWS Chicago North Shore shelters. In addition to providing food for the pets at the shelters, Merrick will also provide each adopter with a supply of dry petfood to help the pet's transition to its new home.
"PAWS Chicago is committed to ensuring the health and happiness of every pet in our adoption program," said Paula Fasseas, PAWS Chicago founder. "We are proud to provide the pets in our care with Merrick petfood during their stay and provide a foundation of health and nutrition that we hope will continue for the rest of their lives."
"PAWS Chicago has a proven record of helping pets in need and we are pleased to partner with them to feed homeless pets awaiting their forever homes," said Greg Shearson, CEO of Merrick Pet Care. "Together, we can better help pets not only survive, but thrive through feeding them more wholesome, natural and nutritious foods."

GA Pet Food Partners receives top rating from British Retail Consortium

GA Pet Food Partners received a grade "A" rating from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) for implementing best practices in its petfood manufacturing process. 
BRC audits the whole chain, from the sourcing of raw materials through to being able to trace product from the retail shelf back the origin of the ingredients.
James Lawson, GA's joint managing director responsible for nutrition and food safety, said, "Being awarded the BRC's top grade is welcome recognition for GA's hard work and commitment to producing pet food to the very highest standards of manufacturing. The BRC award is now recognized and demanded globally and this confirms to our customers around the world that they are in partnership with a high performing team at GA."

TraceGains to host FSMA webinar on December 13

TraceGains will present a webinar on December 13 at 12 p.m. EDT, entitled, "Preparing for FSMA's Animal Food/Feed Rule."
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will make the industry subject to mandatory Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and a new preventive controls program under this new rule (section 103 of FSMA for animal food facilities that must register under section 415 of FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 350d, to establish and implement a food safety system that includes a hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls).
Under FSMA, the following would become requirements:
• A written food safety plan
• Hazard analysis
• Preventive controls for hazards that are reasonably likely to occur
• Monitoring
• Corrective actions
• Verification
• Associated records 
The webinar will feature Marc Sanchez, senior counsel and adjunct professor, who will address the new proposed rule for the petfood and animal feed industry and its most distinctive and impactful features. Register online to attend the webinar.

Data from GfK show 28 percent spike in grain-free petfood sales

In the latest evidence that natural alternatives are driving the petfood market, GfK data for the past year show a 28 percent spike in grain-free food sales at US pet stores. Through its Retail and Technology division, GfK tracks sales in more than 11,000 US pet outlets, including national and regional chains, as well as neighborhood pet shops.
Overall, US$1.7 billion was spent on grain-free pet products at pet outlets over the year from September 2012 to September 2013, and account for about one-third of all new pet items introduced each month. In the past year, the number of grain-free pet products has grown 33 percent, to more than 3,500 on shelves currently - about 2,300 for dogs versus nearly 1,200 for cats.
Dog items also account for the vast majority of grain-free sales: US$1.4 billion in the past year from September 2012-13, compared to US$322 million for cat products. Additionally, consumers pay roughly 45 percent more for grain-free products.
"We see the growth of grain-free foods - and natural pet products generally - as part of a larger trend toward humanization of pets," said Maria Lange, senior product manager of GfK's Retail and Technology team. "Consumers are clearly comfortable splurging on pets they see as valued family members, not just everyday animals. We see brands like Blue Wilderness, Natural Balance and Taste of the Wild leading the way; and we expect other outgrowths of the natural trend to emerge in the coming months."

Companies recognize importance of giving back to homeless pets

Companies outside of the pet industry are recognizing the importance of giving to homeless pets and also helping their own business, says a recent article. 
For example, Cedar Park Overhead Doors regularly sponsors special events for local animal shelters near the Cedar Park, Texas, USA, community, most recently sponsoring an annual bowl-a-thon for Texas Humane Heroes. 
According to Don Grenier, owner of Cedar Park Overhead Doors, "I am always looking for ways to give back to the community and, since my wife and I have two rescue dogs, giving back to the local animal rescue community is the perfect fit."
In Florida, USA, Subaru of Orange Park recently hosted an Adoptathon, covering all adoption fees and donating 100 pounds of food to local shelters for every car sold during the event.
In White Plains, New York, USA, the Pepe Infiniti dealership began a photo contest on its Facebook page. Mark Hersh, executive manager of the dealership, was inspired to begin the contest after seeing an amusing photo of his son holding Leo, a Labradoodle. After the overwhelming success of the contest online, he decided to host a dog rescue event in the dealership. "Six rescues from around Westchester County, New York, brought five adoptable dogs each to what was called Pepe Infiniti's Fur-Ever Home Dog Adoption event," said Hersh. "Approximately 200 guests came to the event and 12 dogs found Fur-Ever homes." The event was even so successful that a mall in the area, The Westchester, asked Hersh to reproduce the event with 12 participating rescues and more than 2,500 attendees. 

AFIA, NGFA file joint comments to FDA on animal food additives petition

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) filed joint comments on November 12 to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding Recommendations for Preparation and Submission of Animal Food Additive Petitions. The comments are AFIA and NGFA's recommendation to assist FDA in providing important information in making informed decisions on the correct ingredient approval path to pursue and to assist the industry in properly submitting a Food Additive Petition (FAP) for animal feed ingredients.
"The US feed industry has a long history of providing safe ingredients and animal feed for use domestically and abroad. Ingredient review processes that function efficiently are extremely important for the industry," the groups stated in the comments.
Both AFIA and NGFA applaud FDA for providing the draft guidance document, which has been in development, with feed industry backing, for several years. 
"The American Feed Industry Association along with the National Grain and Feed Association find the draft guidance to be an overall helpful document for the industry," said Leah Wilkinson, AFIA director of ingredients, petfood and state affairs. "We drafted comments to FDA as a request for clarification in order to help make the review processes to approve new animal food ingredients function more efficiently for the industry as a whole."
In the comments, AFIA and NGFA noted FDA's lack of clarity on terms such as mixture, components and material balance and asked those terms be defined. The groups commented on FDA's request in the FAP for companies to submit an unrealistic level of manufacturing information, particularly since a manufacturing process is not a regulatory requirement when manufacturing food additives that meet existing food additive regulations and ingredient specifications. Additional guidance was also requested in areas where FDA had specific recommendations but did not provide supporting information in the FAP, including areas such as types of studies for homogeneity, stability and intended effects. 
"FDA's guidance document details specific information that should be submitted for manufacturing processes and raw data. This information is typically proprietary to individual companies," said David Fairfield, NGFA vice president of feed services. "NGFA and AFIA requested FDA clarify in the guidance document what information can be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act."
FIA and NGFA believe that due to the nature of the approval process and the investments made by a company to approve a product, a final guidance document should be issued by FDA as soon as possible. The completion of an expedited document will greatly assist the industry in the development of their submissions for FDA review. T